Jason Kidd explains why Kyrie Irving will not play again this season

When Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL last March, everyone knew the star point guard would miss a significant portion of the 2025-26 season. The timeline for recovery grew murkier as the year went on, and after that Dallas Mavericks sunk further into the quicksand, the expectation was that he would not play at all until the next campaign. The team officially shut down Irving on Wednesday, a move that fans greatly appreciate.

Mavs head coach Jason Kidd specifically explained why The 2016 NBA champion will be inactive for the rest of the season.

“Long-term health,” he said, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. “We want to make sure he’s ready for next season. … For him, in training, some of the things he’s working on, he’s looking good. I think as we go into March and April, we want him to continue to go in the right direction. Because of that decision he made, we’re thinking about his long-term health and being healthy next season.”

The Mavericks hope to come back strong next season

Dallas clearly doesn’t want Irving to return for the final stretch of a losing campaign and potentially suffer a setback or inadvertently hurt the franchise’s draft positioning. The Mavericks have had a miserable year as they work their way through the post-Luka Doncic era. Fantastic rookie Cooper Flag ensures Dallas can get back on track soon, but could certainly use some extra help.

The top draft pick in a loaded class could give the Mavs one of the brightest futures in the NBA. It also benefits Kyrie Irving. The 33-year-old knows he has limited time to win another ring. He’s still a high-level scorer, but carrying heavy offensive responsibilities on a nightly basis seems impractical, especially after serious injury. A rising Flagg and possible top-five pick could carry the load a bit.

Although, due to the youthful talent on this roster, Irving will continue to be a vitally important component for the Mavericks over the next two seasons. However, he cannot take on that role if he is not healthy. The future Hall of Famer now has an additional 200-plus days to make amends.